The English Language Department, Faculty of Arts, at the Islamic University of Gaza hosted translation professor Anthony Bym from the University of Melbourne in Australia in a lecture entitled: “Media Translation and its Impact on Directing Public Opinion.”
Professor Bym outlined a set of key points on the extent of the Australian public’s trust in the translation of advertisements, notifications, and other visual and audio materials related to the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.
Professor Bym presented the different types of media that viewers follow to obtain information and news, dividing them into visual and audio. He then presented the means that increased viewers’ trust, which included printed media, phone calls, and printed personal messages. However, for young people, the most trusted means were social media, including posts and videos.
Professor Bym clarified the impact of viewer trust in media materials translated in incorrect ways, either linguistically or idiomatically, which forced the state to impose new standards for translation, including appointing licensed specialized translators, circulating only official information, tracking media materials on websites and printed materials, and hiring interpreters when needed.
At the end of the lecture, the faculty members of the English Department asked some questions. Then Dr. Mahmoud Baroud concluded the meeting and pointed out the importance of these meetings and lectures in enriching knowledge among the students and linking them with universities and professors around the world.
